Of Gods and Demons
by J. E. Talveran
Summary: They saved an Empire, returned a God to her place, and thought it was all over. They were wrong.


**Title: **Of Gods and Demons  
**Author: **Nameless Quill  
**Rating:** Teen

**Disclaimer: **Jade Empire does not belong to me, nor do the myths that I will be elaborating on. They are all Bioware's property and thus, I will sigh and let it be so.

**Summary: **They saved an Empire, returned a God to her place, and thought it was all over. They were wrong.

_Exiled for a love gone wrong,  
__Denied the rights of her role._

_She awakens, knowing her children are far.  
__And her anger grows._

**Prologue: Innocent Moon, Blood Moon**

They came from the north with the setting sun, flickering like fabled ghosts in a desert mirage as they flew unerringly to the northern-most wall of the grand Star Sign Citadel. No commands were spoken as their wings beat untiringly in unison. An eerie silence surrounded them as they pushed through the currents of air; overhead a hawk flew acting like an animalistic guide to destiny.

They were clad in simple white tunics that reached up to their chests to be wrapped in black linen. Their right shoulders were protected by large shoulder-shields decorated with motifs that run the gauntlet from mundane to the utterly bizarre. Arms bare to the elbows, tight bandages spelling out their name and order covered the rest of them, leaving only their hands free. Over their skin were fine black lined tattoos that marked them as servants of a god. Only their wings were untouched and left in a natural state, the white feathers catching the golden rays of light and reflecting it back out to the world.

Their destination was a expansive wasteland with an impressionable skyline broken by the colossal image of the topmost spire of the citadel. Reaching upwards forty meters, it was a beacon to all pilgrims of the Celestial Bureaucracy. Built of the brightest marble, its tip was a finger stretching out to touch heaven. The earliest of emperors preached that it was one of the many earthly signs that the empire was the sign of perfection on earth. Below the mighty shadow of the spire were many balconies of the astrological sages and the smaller temple devoted to lesser gods underneath the rule of the August Personage. Sprawled after that was the living part of the citadel, the small streets groaned with the weight of the breath of the souls that walked over them. Sitting on the tallest hill above the endless desert, the citadel was the pulsing heartbeat of the empire's study of the cosmos and today the temple and spire doubled in population as the studious roamed through it, their blood boiling with the anticipation of what was to come— the solar eclipse.

Along the citadel wall's shadow in the few fertile fields able to grow in the arid climate, the local nomads watched in fear and wonder as the strangers' shadows fell over the sands. They were in no position to defend the city from attackers; their culture was a simple one. They lived and died without ever questioning their existence. As one mind they beheld the flying strangers as warrior demi-gods. The mysterious flyers took no notice of the people below them. They were on a sanctified mission, no distractions could be allowed. They flew on impassively, no head turned to view their awed audience below. They touched the ground scant feet from the entrance to the Star Sign Citadel and folded their wings behind them.

The nomads stepped back as the winged strangers approached the gates, walking through them amidst stares and whispers. Upon their hips were daggers, the hilts adorned with strange symbols. There were five of them, each bearing a crest upon their chest. Some carried quivers that slapped softly against their sides as they walked; others had long spears attached to sheathes that allowed the wings to move freely.

The young guards sent to protect a place that never knew battle trembled and wondered on how to deal with these arrivals; their hesitation was their downfall, for with a single command, weapons flew into the hands of the winged ones and struck down the guards.

With a silent cry, the citadel fell. As a scarlet curve, the moon rose overhead.

VVV

**Author's Notes: **Yes, this is short simply because I prefer my prologues to be. This story will deal with the myths that Bioware had created for Jade Empire and never touched on. The next chapter is in the works and will be up by the middle of next week. Reviews are always welcome as it lets me know that you're reading and waiting for more.


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